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Outside she looked vainly for a hansom or any other means of transportation. She found none and began running as fast as she could. Once there at the office building， she ran into it and disdained the new lift and ran up the stairs. Drury was not at his desk. She lifted her skirts and ran up another flight of stairs， not stopping until she rushed into the night editor’s office without knocking.
Guy Spencer was at his post， conferring with a man， whom she had seen only once in passing， but immediately recognized as George Morgan， the wealthy owner of newspaper.
“What is it， Miss Bradley？” the editor asked.
“Drury... Bryant Drury... he’s writing an article about Mrs. Hallett. You have to stop the story. Drury is making a big mistake，” Lydia said between gasps.
“Sit down， Miss Bradley，” Mr. Morgan urged. “Slow down and tell me about it.” He glanced at the editor. “I take it， this is the young lady you hired recently as a reporter？”
“Miss Lydia Bradley. She’s been with us six months. Now Lydia， what this is about？”
“I was dining with Mr. Drury at Delmonico’s. He saw Mrs. Paul Hallett， the society woman， at a table just behind ours. She was with a much younger man and holding hands with him across the table. Mr. Drury is going to print a gossip item about her indiscreet behavior in a public place.”
“The fool！” Morgan said angrily. “The Halletts are too important for that nonsense.”
“He didn’t check the story，” Lydia said. “I found Mrs. Hallett in the ladies’ room and I learned the young man happens to be her younger brother， who today graduated from medical school. The dinner was a celebration. She informed me her husband had an important meeting tonight and was unable to be with them. Mrs. Hallett will sue him and the newspaper if he prints that item. She despises Drury.”
“My God，” Spencer exclaimed. “That kind of thing could have terrible consequences. I’ve got to stop it.” He picked up the telephone and shouted for the rewrite room. “Is Drury there？” He asked. “Already left？ Listen carefully. He just wrote something for his column. Is it at the press room yet？ Go down there. Personally. Kill that whole column of his... Let the goddamn paper be late！ It’s a life-and-death matter. Do what you have to. Just kill that column！”
Spencer hung up and sighed in relieve. “Another half hour and that story would have been on the streets. Miss Bradley，” he eyed her gratefully， “we’re indebted to you for your initiative.” “Drury’s self-conceit is destroying his effectiveness as a reporter，” Morgan mused thoughtfully. “This isn’t the first time he neglected to check a story. Am I wrong， Guy？”
“You are right， sir，” Spencer said somberly. “A damn shame. Up until recently he was the best in the country.”
“And so far，” Morgan went on， “we’ve been lucky in killing his inaccuracies before they got into print. Thank God， you probably save the paper a good deal of money， Miss Bradley. Thank you.”
The phone rang as she stood up to leave. Spencer answered it. “Send him up，” he said crisply. He replaced the phone. “Miss Bradley， please wait a few minutes. They caught Drury as he was leaving the building. I want you here to listen to his explanation.”
“Don’t worry about Drury，” Morgan said. He retreated to a far corner of the room that was in near darkness.
Drury came in without knocking. He started when he saw Lydia was here， and his eyes narrowed.
“Now listen，” he said immediately on the defensive， “don’t believe this girl’s story. I wasn’t harassing her. She was trying to get me to have her put on a big assignment and she offered me favors—”
“Drury，” Spencer cut in， “you wrote a squib for your column about Mrs. Hallett.” Drury looked surprised. “Sure I did. Caught her dead to rights.”
“Miss Bradley talked to Mrs. Hallett and discovered she was not being unfaithful to her husband. The man she was with happens to be her brother. They were celebrating his graduation from medical school.”
Drury turned pale. “Good God！ I’ve got to stop...”
“The story has been killed，” Morgan said quickly， moving out of the shadows.
Drury’s mouth opened to voice an angry response， but when he recognized Morgan， his tone changed.
“Mr. Morgan. I didn’t notice you were here. I’m sorry about this. It was good of Miss Bradley to check the story. Though I’m sure she told you I sent her to do just that.”
“Damn it， Drury，” Morgan said， “you didn’t ask anyone to check the story. You hate Hallett and you thought you saw a chance to embarrass him. You should thank Miss Bradley for warning us in time.”
Drury turned to Lydia， still bluffing his way through it. “Lydia， why didn’t you tell these gentlemen you were supposed to contact me if you got anything out of Mrs. Hallett？”
“Hold on， Drury，” Morgan said in rapidly rising anger. “You did not ask Miss Bradley to check. Even if you had， you wrote the story and sent it to press without waiting for any word from her.” “I thought she found nothing and went home...”
“Drury，” Morgan said， “you are a liar. You were a fine reporter until your head swelled. You think everyone’s afraid of you. I don’t want you working for us any longer， even if you do have a famous by-line1. In other words， sir， you are fired. Now get out of here.”
Drury turned threateningly toward Lydia. “A good game you play. Pretending to seek my advice when， in fact， you were out to get me from the start. From the way things look， you’re after my job.”
“Mr. Drury，” she said more calmly than she felt， “I likely saved you a great deal of money， for Mrs. Hallett would surely have sued you， and you didn’t stand the slightest chance of winning the suit.”
“She’s right，” Spencer agreed. “You ought to be thanking her. And get this， Drury， if I ever hear of you making any trouble for this young lady， you’ll not only never again work on any newspaper， but on any publication in the world. Now get out！ I don’t want to see your face again.”
“Don’t be afraid of him， Lydia.” Spencer said. “He’ll probably destroy himself before he does you.”
“I don’t like to be the cause of anyone losing his job，” she replied somberly.
“We’ve been watching him， hoping he’d change. But he thought he was above reproach.” Morgan said.
“Yes，” Spencer agreed. “Too much drinking， too many women and a growing carelessness with his stories. Word gets around. As for you， Lydia， you saved us and also Drury from disaster. We give a bonus for a good story. You deserve one for stopping a bad story. You’ll find one hundred dollars extra in your next paycheck.”
“Make that two hundred，” Morgan said.
“Thank you， gentlemen. I’m very grateful.” She arouse， ready to leave the office， still feeling somewhat overwhelmed by all that had happened.
“Don’t be in such a hurry to leave， Miss Bradley，” Morgan said with a chuckle. “Please sit down and tell me about yourself. How old are you？”
“Twenty， sir.”
“Do you live with your family？”
“My father， Paul Bradley， died some years ago， and my mother shortly after him. I have no one else—”
“Good God！ Not the Paul Bradley of the Lyttonville Herald？ Of course we knew of him. He was a fine newspaper man，” Morgan interjected.
“Yes， sir. He was the one who taught me all the journalism I know. He always encouraged me to pursue it...”
“Why didn’t you mention he was your father when we hired you？” Spencer asked. “I didn’t want to trade on his reputation，” Lydia answered. “I want to make my own way.”
“I see. Then， you have no obligation that would tie you down？ No… young man？” Morgan presently continued.
“None， sir，” Lydia replied， more and more mystified at this kind of questioning.
“I travelled around Europe expensively. One place attracted and interested me far more than any other. I’m referring to Monte Carlo. Know where that is， Miss Bradley？ Or what it is？”
“I’ve heard of it， but I know nothing of it， sir.”
“Good. Not many do. It’s part of the Principality of Monaco， located on the French Riviera near Italy. It’s a beautiful place， and has one of the finest climates to be found in the world.”
“It’s taken off， like a sky rocket.” Morgan went on. “They’ve built a big casino and several hotels there， rather grander than anything all Europe has to offer. And the gambling is for stakes that would stagger you. All kinds of gambling. In just a short time I saw a king， an emperor， the Kaiser—supposedly incognito—a large assortment of dukes， barons and earls. Diplomats， military people... crowds of more than ordinary citizens， mostly the very rich.” He paused， offered Spencer a cigar and lit up one for himself. After a few speculative puffs， he added， “I never saw anything like it in my life.”
“What are you getting at？” Guy Spencer asked， still thoroughly mystified.
“Miss Bradley，” Morgan said， and his eyes fastened on her face. “How would you like to go to Monte Carlo？ Live there as our permanent representative. With unlimited funds—though not for gambling. You’ll have the best of everything， for there’s no other way to treat Monte Carlo， especially you’re there on business for the paper.”
“I... to go to Monte Carlo？” Lydia asked incredulously.
“That’s what I said.”
“But... why me？ I’ve only been with the paper a short time！”
“That’s why I’m selecting you. Granted， I’m impressed with your family background. But your father’s reputation has little to do with this decision.”
“What an idea！” Spencer said， getting carried away by Morgan’s eloquence. “We’ll feature Lydia’s story. With photos. She can arrange for them on Monte Carlo.”
“Tell us when you can go. Day after tomorrow？”
“Yes. I’ll do the very best I can.”
“Good. Guy will make all the arrangements， passport， money， salary. Be generous， Guy， Lydia just saved us a small fortune. I’m looking forward to your success， my dear.” （The end）
出了酒店，莉迪娅想找一辆双轮马车或其他任何交通工具。发现什么也找不到后，她开始拼命奔跑。一到报馆大楼，她立马冲了进去，没乘新电梯，顺着楼梯往上爬。德鲁里的位子空着。她提起裙子又往上爬了一层，一口气奔到夜班编辑的办公室，门也没敲就冲了进去。
主编盖伊·斯潘塞坐在桌子边正和一个人讨论着什么，那个人莉迪娅只在路过时见过一次，不过她立刻认出那是乔治·摩根，报社的阔佬大老板。
“布拉德利小姐，有什么事？”主编问道。
“德鲁里……布莱恩特·德鲁里……他正在写一篇关于哈利特夫人的文章。您必须阻止他，不能让他写。德鲁里犯了个大错。”莉迪娅边喘边说。
“请坐，布拉德利小姐。”摩根先生招呼道，“别着急，说说怎么回事。”他看了一眼主编。“我猜，这位年轻女士是你最近聘任的记者吧？”
“这是莉迪娅·布拉德利小姐。她来我们这儿有六个月了。莉迪娅，这是怎么回事啊？”
“我和德鲁里先生在戴蒙尼可大酒店吃饭。他看到了名媛保罗·哈利特夫人，就坐在我们后面的一张桌子。哈利特夫人和一位很年轻的男士在一起，还隔着桌子抓着年轻人的手。德鲁里先生于是要写一篇关于哈利特夫人在公共场合有不检点行为的八卦文章发表。”
“白痴！”摩根大怒，“哈利特夫妇是大人物，怎么能这么乱写。”
“德鲁里没有核实。”莉迪娅说，“我在洗手间见到哈利特夫人，了解到那个年轻人是她弟弟，今天刚从医学院毕业，这顿晚餐就是为庆祝弟弟毕业的。她告诉我说，她丈夫今晚有个重要会议，所以不能跟他们一起庆祝。如果德鲁里发表了那篇文章，哈利特夫人肯定会把他和报社告上法庭。她很鄙视他。”
“天啊！”斯潘塞大叫，“这事儿后果太可怕了。我必须阻止。”他拿起电话大声要通编辑室。“德鲁里在吗？”他问，“已经走了？给我好好听着，他刚才为他的专栏写了点儿东西，现在送到印刷车间了吗？快去，你亲自去，把他那个专栏整个撤了……该死的报纸，晚就晚了吧！这可是生死攸关的大事。做你该做的事去。撤了那个专栏！”
斯潘塞挂断电话，松了口气。“布拉德利小姐，再晚半个小时，那个故事就会满大街流传了。”他感激地看着她，“你这次能主动查证，我们感激不尽。”
“德鲁里的骄傲自大正毁掉他的记者公信力。”摩根若有所思地说道，“这不是他第一次不核实事情真相了。盖伊，我没说错吧？”
“先生，你没说错。”斯潘塞郁郁地说道，“该死的，真丢脸。不久前他还算是国内最棒的。”
“到目前为止，”摩根接着说，“我们每次都很幸运在开印前把他的不实报道毙了。感谢上帝，布拉德利小姐， 你这下可给报社省了不少钱。谢谢你。”
莉迪娅站起身准备离开，这时电话响了。斯潘塞拿起了电话。“叫他上来。”话很干脆。他挂上电话说：“布拉德利小姐，请稍等。德鲁里离开大楼时被拦住了，我想让你在这儿听听他的解释。”
“不用怕德鲁里。”摩根说着就退到了屋子远处一个幽暗的角落里。
德鲁里门也不敲就走了进来。他看到莉迪娅在屋里时，眯起眼睛，马上开口道。
“听我说，”他立刻开始给自己辩白，“别相信这女孩的话。我没骚扰她。是她想尽办法要我答应给她一项重要任务，她还答应给我好处——”
“德鲁里，”斯潘塞打断了他的话，“你为自己的专栏写了一篇关于哈利特夫人的短文吧。”德鲁里显得很惊讶：“是，我是写了，而且抓了个现行！”
“布拉德利小姐和哈利特夫人谈过了，发现哈利特夫人并没有对丈夫不忠，和她在一起的碰巧是她刚从医学院毕业的弟弟，他们正在庆祝毕业。”
德鲁里的脸一下子白了。“天啊！我得赶紧阻止……”
“你的故事已经撤了。”摩根一边插话，一边从幽暗的墙角走了出来。
德鲁里张嘴刚想发作，看清是摩根后，语气一下软了下来。
“摩根先生，没注意到您在这儿，很抱歉。布拉德利小姐核实过太好了。当然，我想她肯定告诉你们了，是我派她去核实的。”
“德鲁里，混蛋！”摩根说，“你没有叫任何人去核实。你恨哈利特，这次你是以为有机会可以好好羞辱他一下了。你应该感谢布拉德利小姐及时提醒了我们。”
德鲁里转向莉迪娅，还想继续狡辩：“莉迪娅，你为什么不告诉这两位先生，你从哈利特夫人那里了解到情况后应该跟我联系的。”
“德鲁里，打住。”摩根话中的怒气急剧上升，“你根本没叫布拉德利小姐去核实。即使你叫了，你也没等她回复就写了这个故事并且送去付印了。”
“我以为她没问出什么回家了……”
“德鲁里，”摩根说，“你说谎。你在自我膨胀之前，曾是个优秀的记者。你以为人人都怕你。即使你确实有些名气，我们报纸也不再需要你了。换句话说，你被解雇了。现在，请离开这儿。”
德鲁里气势汹汹地转身冲莉迪娅说：“你玩的好把戏。假装请教我，其实从一开始就想抓我的把柄。看样子，你盯上了我的位置。”
“德鲁里先生，”莉迪娅没想到自己能那么平心静气，“我可能帮你省下了一大笔钱，因为哈利特夫人肯定会把你告上法庭，而你絕不可能赢。”
“她说得对。”斯潘塞表示同意，“你应该谢谢她。听着，德鲁里，如果让我知道你找这位年轻女士的麻烦，那你不仅永远找不到报社工作，而且全世界的出版圈你也别想混了。滚！我不想再见到你。”
“莉迪娅，别怕他。”斯潘塞说，“他在对你下手前可能就先把自己给毁了。”
“我不喜欢别人因为我而丢了饭碗。”她有些郁闷地说。
“我们一直在注意他，希望他会有所改变。但显然他认为自己无可指责。”摩根说。
“是啊。”斯潘塞附和道，“酗酒，玩女人，写文章越来越粗制滥造。话已经传开了。至于你，莉迪娅，你救了报社，也救了德鲁里，让我们逃过一劫。发表好故事我们都会奖励，你挡住了一个坏故事也值得奖励。下次发薪水时你会多拿到100美元。” “要多200。”摩根说。
“二位先生，谢谢你们。非常感谢。”她站起身，准备离开办公室，刚刚发生的一切仍然让她感觉有点儿不知所措。
“别这么急着走，布拉德利小姐。”摩根微微一笑说，“请坐，说说你自己的情况吧。你多大了？”
“20岁，先生。”
“你和家人一块儿住吗？”
“家父保罗·布拉德利几年前过世了，家母不久也走了。目前家里没别人了——”
“天啊！不会是《利顿维尔先驱报》的保罗·布拉德利吧？我们当然知道他。他是位优秀的报人。”摩根插话说。
“是的，先生。我所有的新闻行业知识都是他教的。他一直鼓励我追求……”
“聘用你时怎么不告诉我们令尊是保罗·布拉德利呢？”斯潘塞问道。
“我不想利用家父的名声。”莉迪娅答道，“我要闯出一条自己的路。”
“明白了。那么就没什么捆住你手脚了吧？没……有男朋友？”摩根接着问。
“没有，先生。”莉迪娅答道，这样的提问让她越来越困惑了。
“我周游欧洲，都是很奢华的旅行，有一个地方比其他任何地方都吸引我，让我感兴趣。我指的是蒙特卡洛。布拉德利小姐，知道它在哪儿吗？了解这个地方吗？”
“我听说过这个地方，但对它一无所知，先生。”
“很好。了解的人确实不太多。它属于摩纳哥公国，位于法国蔚蓝海岸，靠近意大利。那是个非常美丽的地方，有全球最适宜的气候。”
“蒙特卡洛发展很快，就像冲天的火箭。”摩根接着说道，“他们建了一个大赌场和几家酒店，比全欧洲其他地方建得都辉煌。至于赌场里的赌注，真会吓坏人。各种赌博花样百出。不过一会儿工夫我就看见了一个国王、一位皇帝——德国皇帝，恐怕用的假名——一大帮各色各样的公爵、男爵和伯爵。还有外交官、军人……成群结队，都不是普通老百姓，大多极其富有。”摩根停了下来，递给斯潘塞一支雪茄，自己也点了一支。他若有所思地喷了几口烟，接着说道：“我这辈子从未见过这样的情况。”
“你想说什么？”盖伊·斯潘塞问，仍然一头雾水。
“布拉德利小姐，”摩根盯着她的脸说道，“你想去蒙特卡洛吗？作为我们的常驻代表到那儿生活。资金没有上限——当然不是给你赌博的。给你配备的一切都是最好的，待在蒙特卡洛的花销绝少不了，尤其你是报社派驻那儿的，更不能丢了身份。”
“我……去蒙特卡洛？”莉迪娅问，她感觉难以置信。
“没错，去蒙特卡洛。”
“但是……为什么派我去？我进报社并没多久啊！”
“就因为你刚来不久才选中你。当然，你的家庭背景也是我很重视的。但这次的决定和令尊的声誉没什么关系。”
“好主意！”斯潘塞說，对摩根的口才佩服极了，“我们可以把莉迪娅的报道做成专题，再配上照片。她可以在蒙特卡洛搞定这些。”
“看看哪天能动身吧。后天怎么样？”
“好，我会竭尽全力。”
“太好了。盖伊会安排好一切，护照、钱、薪水等。盖伊，大方点儿，莉迪娅刚给我们省了一大笔钱。期待你取得成功，亲爱的。”
（完）
Guy Spencer was at his post， conferring with a man， whom she had seen only once in passing， but immediately recognized as George Morgan， the wealthy owner of newspaper.
“What is it， Miss Bradley？” the editor asked.
“Drury... Bryant Drury... he’s writing an article about Mrs. Hallett. You have to stop the story. Drury is making a big mistake，” Lydia said between gasps.
“Sit down， Miss Bradley，” Mr. Morgan urged. “Slow down and tell me about it.” He glanced at the editor. “I take it， this is the young lady you hired recently as a reporter？”
“Miss Lydia Bradley. She’s been with us six months. Now Lydia， what this is about？”
“I was dining with Mr. Drury at Delmonico’s. He saw Mrs. Paul Hallett， the society woman， at a table just behind ours. She was with a much younger man and holding hands with him across the table. Mr. Drury is going to print a gossip item about her indiscreet behavior in a public place.”
“The fool！” Morgan said angrily. “The Halletts are too important for that nonsense.”
“He didn’t check the story，” Lydia said. “I found Mrs. Hallett in the ladies’ room and I learned the young man happens to be her younger brother， who today graduated from medical school. The dinner was a celebration. She informed me her husband had an important meeting tonight and was unable to be with them. Mrs. Hallett will sue him and the newspaper if he prints that item. She despises Drury.”
“My God，” Spencer exclaimed. “That kind of thing could have terrible consequences. I’ve got to stop it.” He picked up the telephone and shouted for the rewrite room. “Is Drury there？” He asked. “Already left？ Listen carefully. He just wrote something for his column. Is it at the press room yet？ Go down there. Personally. Kill that whole column of his... Let the goddamn paper be late！ It’s a life-and-death matter. Do what you have to. Just kill that column！”
Spencer hung up and sighed in relieve. “Another half hour and that story would have been on the streets. Miss Bradley，” he eyed her gratefully， “we’re indebted to you for your initiative.” “Drury’s self-conceit is destroying his effectiveness as a reporter，” Morgan mused thoughtfully. “This isn’t the first time he neglected to check a story. Am I wrong， Guy？”
“You are right， sir，” Spencer said somberly. “A damn shame. Up until recently he was the best in the country.”
“And so far，” Morgan went on， “we’ve been lucky in killing his inaccuracies before they got into print. Thank God， you probably save the paper a good deal of money， Miss Bradley. Thank you.”
The phone rang as she stood up to leave. Spencer answered it. “Send him up，” he said crisply. He replaced the phone. “Miss Bradley， please wait a few minutes. They caught Drury as he was leaving the building. I want you here to listen to his explanation.”
“Don’t worry about Drury，” Morgan said. He retreated to a far corner of the room that was in near darkness.
Drury came in without knocking. He started when he saw Lydia was here， and his eyes narrowed.
“Now listen，” he said immediately on the defensive， “don’t believe this girl’s story. I wasn’t harassing her. She was trying to get me to have her put on a big assignment and she offered me favors—”
“Drury，” Spencer cut in， “you wrote a squib for your column about Mrs. Hallett.” Drury looked surprised. “Sure I did. Caught her dead to rights.”
“Miss Bradley talked to Mrs. Hallett and discovered she was not being unfaithful to her husband. The man she was with happens to be her brother. They were celebrating his graduation from medical school.”
Drury turned pale. “Good God！ I’ve got to stop...”
“The story has been killed，” Morgan said quickly， moving out of the shadows.
Drury’s mouth opened to voice an angry response， but when he recognized Morgan， his tone changed.
“Mr. Morgan. I didn’t notice you were here. I’m sorry about this. It was good of Miss Bradley to check the story. Though I’m sure she told you I sent her to do just that.”
“Damn it， Drury，” Morgan said， “you didn’t ask anyone to check the story. You hate Hallett and you thought you saw a chance to embarrass him. You should thank Miss Bradley for warning us in time.”
Drury turned to Lydia， still bluffing his way through it. “Lydia， why didn’t you tell these gentlemen you were supposed to contact me if you got anything out of Mrs. Hallett？”
“Hold on， Drury，” Morgan said in rapidly rising anger. “You did not ask Miss Bradley to check. Even if you had， you wrote the story and sent it to press without waiting for any word from her.” “I thought she found nothing and went home...”
“Drury，” Morgan said， “you are a liar. You were a fine reporter until your head swelled. You think everyone’s afraid of you. I don’t want you working for us any longer， even if you do have a famous by-line1. In other words， sir， you are fired. Now get out of here.”
Drury turned threateningly toward Lydia. “A good game you play. Pretending to seek my advice when， in fact， you were out to get me from the start. From the way things look， you’re after my job.”
“Mr. Drury，” she said more calmly than she felt， “I likely saved you a great deal of money， for Mrs. Hallett would surely have sued you， and you didn’t stand the slightest chance of winning the suit.”
“She’s right，” Spencer agreed. “You ought to be thanking her. And get this， Drury， if I ever hear of you making any trouble for this young lady， you’ll not only never again work on any newspaper， but on any publication in the world. Now get out！ I don’t want to see your face again.”
“Don’t be afraid of him， Lydia.” Spencer said. “He’ll probably destroy himself before he does you.”
“I don’t like to be the cause of anyone losing his job，” she replied somberly.
“We’ve been watching him， hoping he’d change. But he thought he was above reproach.” Morgan said.
“Yes，” Spencer agreed. “Too much drinking， too many women and a growing carelessness with his stories. Word gets around. As for you， Lydia， you saved us and also Drury from disaster. We give a bonus for a good story. You deserve one for stopping a bad story. You’ll find one hundred dollars extra in your next paycheck.”
“Make that two hundred，” Morgan said.
“Thank you， gentlemen. I’m very grateful.” She arouse， ready to leave the office， still feeling somewhat overwhelmed by all that had happened.
“Don’t be in such a hurry to leave， Miss Bradley，” Morgan said with a chuckle. “Please sit down and tell me about yourself. How old are you？”
“Twenty， sir.”
“Do you live with your family？”
“My father， Paul Bradley， died some years ago， and my mother shortly after him. I have no one else—”
“Good God！ Not the Paul Bradley of the Lyttonville Herald？ Of course we knew of him. He was a fine newspaper man，” Morgan interjected.
“Yes， sir. He was the one who taught me all the journalism I know. He always encouraged me to pursue it...”
“Why didn’t you mention he was your father when we hired you？” Spencer asked. “I didn’t want to trade on his reputation，” Lydia answered. “I want to make my own way.”
“I see. Then， you have no obligation that would tie you down？ No… young man？” Morgan presently continued.
“None， sir，” Lydia replied， more and more mystified at this kind of questioning.
“I travelled around Europe expensively. One place attracted and interested me far more than any other. I’m referring to Monte Carlo. Know where that is， Miss Bradley？ Or what it is？”
“I’ve heard of it， but I know nothing of it， sir.”
“Good. Not many do. It’s part of the Principality of Monaco， located on the French Riviera near Italy. It’s a beautiful place， and has one of the finest climates to be found in the world.”
“It’s taken off， like a sky rocket.” Morgan went on. “They’ve built a big casino and several hotels there， rather grander than anything all Europe has to offer. And the gambling is for stakes that would stagger you. All kinds of gambling. In just a short time I saw a king， an emperor， the Kaiser—supposedly incognito—a large assortment of dukes， barons and earls. Diplomats， military people... crowds of more than ordinary citizens， mostly the very rich.” He paused， offered Spencer a cigar and lit up one for himself. After a few speculative puffs， he added， “I never saw anything like it in my life.”
“What are you getting at？” Guy Spencer asked， still thoroughly mystified.
“Miss Bradley，” Morgan said， and his eyes fastened on her face. “How would you like to go to Monte Carlo？ Live there as our permanent representative. With unlimited funds—though not for gambling. You’ll have the best of everything， for there’s no other way to treat Monte Carlo， especially you’re there on business for the paper.”
“I... to go to Monte Carlo？” Lydia asked incredulously.
“That’s what I said.”
“But... why me？ I’ve only been with the paper a short time！”
“That’s why I’m selecting you. Granted， I’m impressed with your family background. But your father’s reputation has little to do with this decision.”
“What an idea！” Spencer said， getting carried away by Morgan’s eloquence. “We’ll feature Lydia’s story. With photos. She can arrange for them on Monte Carlo.”
“Tell us when you can go. Day after tomorrow？”
“Yes. I’ll do the very best I can.”
“Good. Guy will make all the arrangements， passport， money， salary. Be generous， Guy， Lydia just saved us a small fortune. I’m looking forward to your success， my dear.” （The end）
出了酒店，莉迪娅想找一辆双轮马车或其他任何交通工具。发现什么也找不到后，她开始拼命奔跑。一到报馆大楼，她立马冲了进去，没乘新电梯，顺着楼梯往上爬。德鲁里的位子空着。她提起裙子又往上爬了一层，一口气奔到夜班编辑的办公室，门也没敲就冲了进去。
主编盖伊·斯潘塞坐在桌子边正和一个人讨论着什么，那个人莉迪娅只在路过时见过一次，不过她立刻认出那是乔治·摩根，报社的阔佬大老板。
“布拉德利小姐，有什么事？”主编问道。
“德鲁里……布莱恩特·德鲁里……他正在写一篇关于哈利特夫人的文章。您必须阻止他，不能让他写。德鲁里犯了个大错。”莉迪娅边喘边说。
“请坐，布拉德利小姐。”摩根先生招呼道，“别着急，说说怎么回事。”他看了一眼主编。“我猜，这位年轻女士是你最近聘任的记者吧？”
“这是莉迪娅·布拉德利小姐。她来我们这儿有六个月了。莉迪娅，这是怎么回事啊？”
“我和德鲁里先生在戴蒙尼可大酒店吃饭。他看到了名媛保罗·哈利特夫人，就坐在我们后面的一张桌子。哈利特夫人和一位很年轻的男士在一起，还隔着桌子抓着年轻人的手。德鲁里先生于是要写一篇关于哈利特夫人在公共场合有不检点行为的八卦文章发表。”
“白痴！”摩根大怒，“哈利特夫妇是大人物，怎么能这么乱写。”
“德鲁里没有核实。”莉迪娅说，“我在洗手间见到哈利特夫人，了解到那个年轻人是她弟弟，今天刚从医学院毕业，这顿晚餐就是为庆祝弟弟毕业的。她告诉我说，她丈夫今晚有个重要会议，所以不能跟他们一起庆祝。如果德鲁里发表了那篇文章，哈利特夫人肯定会把他和报社告上法庭。她很鄙视他。”
“天啊！”斯潘塞大叫，“这事儿后果太可怕了。我必须阻止。”他拿起电话大声要通编辑室。“德鲁里在吗？”他问，“已经走了？给我好好听着，他刚才为他的专栏写了点儿东西，现在送到印刷车间了吗？快去，你亲自去，把他那个专栏整个撤了……该死的报纸，晚就晚了吧！这可是生死攸关的大事。做你该做的事去。撤了那个专栏！”
斯潘塞挂断电话，松了口气。“布拉德利小姐，再晚半个小时，那个故事就会满大街流传了。”他感激地看着她，“你这次能主动查证，我们感激不尽。”
“德鲁里的骄傲自大正毁掉他的记者公信力。”摩根若有所思地说道，“这不是他第一次不核实事情真相了。盖伊，我没说错吧？”
“先生，你没说错。”斯潘塞郁郁地说道，“该死的，真丢脸。不久前他还算是国内最棒的。”
“到目前为止，”摩根接着说，“我们每次都很幸运在开印前把他的不实报道毙了。感谢上帝，布拉德利小姐， 你这下可给报社省了不少钱。谢谢你。”
莉迪娅站起身准备离开，这时电话响了。斯潘塞拿起了电话。“叫他上来。”话很干脆。他挂上电话说：“布拉德利小姐，请稍等。德鲁里离开大楼时被拦住了，我想让你在这儿听听他的解释。”
“不用怕德鲁里。”摩根说着就退到了屋子远处一个幽暗的角落里。
德鲁里门也不敲就走了进来。他看到莉迪娅在屋里时，眯起眼睛，马上开口道。
“听我说，”他立刻开始给自己辩白，“别相信这女孩的话。我没骚扰她。是她想尽办法要我答应给她一项重要任务，她还答应给我好处——”
“德鲁里，”斯潘塞打断了他的话，“你为自己的专栏写了一篇关于哈利特夫人的短文吧。”德鲁里显得很惊讶：“是，我是写了，而且抓了个现行！”
“布拉德利小姐和哈利特夫人谈过了，发现哈利特夫人并没有对丈夫不忠，和她在一起的碰巧是她刚从医学院毕业的弟弟，他们正在庆祝毕业。”
德鲁里的脸一下子白了。“天啊！我得赶紧阻止……”
“你的故事已经撤了。”摩根一边插话，一边从幽暗的墙角走了出来。
德鲁里张嘴刚想发作，看清是摩根后，语气一下软了下来。
“摩根先生，没注意到您在这儿，很抱歉。布拉德利小姐核实过太好了。当然，我想她肯定告诉你们了，是我派她去核实的。”
“德鲁里，混蛋！”摩根说，“你没有叫任何人去核实。你恨哈利特，这次你是以为有机会可以好好羞辱他一下了。你应该感谢布拉德利小姐及时提醒了我们。”
德鲁里转向莉迪娅，还想继续狡辩：“莉迪娅，你为什么不告诉这两位先生，你从哈利特夫人那里了解到情况后应该跟我联系的。”
“德鲁里，打住。”摩根话中的怒气急剧上升，“你根本没叫布拉德利小姐去核实。即使你叫了，你也没等她回复就写了这个故事并且送去付印了。”
“我以为她没问出什么回家了……”
“德鲁里，”摩根说，“你说谎。你在自我膨胀之前，曾是个优秀的记者。你以为人人都怕你。即使你确实有些名气，我们报纸也不再需要你了。换句话说，你被解雇了。现在，请离开这儿。”
德鲁里气势汹汹地转身冲莉迪娅说：“你玩的好把戏。假装请教我，其实从一开始就想抓我的把柄。看样子，你盯上了我的位置。”
“德鲁里先生，”莉迪娅没想到自己能那么平心静气，“我可能帮你省下了一大笔钱，因为哈利特夫人肯定会把你告上法庭，而你絕不可能赢。”
“她说得对。”斯潘塞表示同意，“你应该谢谢她。听着，德鲁里，如果让我知道你找这位年轻女士的麻烦，那你不仅永远找不到报社工作，而且全世界的出版圈你也别想混了。滚！我不想再见到你。”
“莉迪娅，别怕他。”斯潘塞说，“他在对你下手前可能就先把自己给毁了。”
“我不喜欢别人因为我而丢了饭碗。”她有些郁闷地说。
“我们一直在注意他，希望他会有所改变。但显然他认为自己无可指责。”摩根说。
“是啊。”斯潘塞附和道，“酗酒，玩女人，写文章越来越粗制滥造。话已经传开了。至于你，莉迪娅，你救了报社，也救了德鲁里，让我们逃过一劫。发表好故事我们都会奖励，你挡住了一个坏故事也值得奖励。下次发薪水时你会多拿到100美元。” “要多200。”摩根说。
“二位先生，谢谢你们。非常感谢。”她站起身，准备离开办公室，刚刚发生的一切仍然让她感觉有点儿不知所措。
“别这么急着走，布拉德利小姐。”摩根微微一笑说，“请坐，说说你自己的情况吧。你多大了？”
“20岁，先生。”
“你和家人一块儿住吗？”
“家父保罗·布拉德利几年前过世了，家母不久也走了。目前家里没别人了——”
“天啊！不会是《利顿维尔先驱报》的保罗·布拉德利吧？我们当然知道他。他是位优秀的报人。”摩根插话说。
“是的，先生。我所有的新闻行业知识都是他教的。他一直鼓励我追求……”
“聘用你时怎么不告诉我们令尊是保罗·布拉德利呢？”斯潘塞问道。
“我不想利用家父的名声。”莉迪娅答道，“我要闯出一条自己的路。”
“明白了。那么就没什么捆住你手脚了吧？没……有男朋友？”摩根接着问。
“没有，先生。”莉迪娅答道，这样的提问让她越来越困惑了。
“我周游欧洲，都是很奢华的旅行，有一个地方比其他任何地方都吸引我，让我感兴趣。我指的是蒙特卡洛。布拉德利小姐，知道它在哪儿吗？了解这个地方吗？”
“我听说过这个地方，但对它一无所知，先生。”
“很好。了解的人确实不太多。它属于摩纳哥公国，位于法国蔚蓝海岸，靠近意大利。那是个非常美丽的地方，有全球最适宜的气候。”
“蒙特卡洛发展很快，就像冲天的火箭。”摩根接着说道，“他们建了一个大赌场和几家酒店，比全欧洲其他地方建得都辉煌。至于赌场里的赌注，真会吓坏人。各种赌博花样百出。不过一会儿工夫我就看见了一个国王、一位皇帝——德国皇帝，恐怕用的假名——一大帮各色各样的公爵、男爵和伯爵。还有外交官、军人……成群结队，都不是普通老百姓，大多极其富有。”摩根停了下来，递给斯潘塞一支雪茄，自己也点了一支。他若有所思地喷了几口烟，接着说道：“我这辈子从未见过这样的情况。”
“你想说什么？”盖伊·斯潘塞问，仍然一头雾水。
“布拉德利小姐，”摩根盯着她的脸说道，“你想去蒙特卡洛吗？作为我们的常驻代表到那儿生活。资金没有上限——当然不是给你赌博的。给你配备的一切都是最好的，待在蒙特卡洛的花销绝少不了，尤其你是报社派驻那儿的，更不能丢了身份。”
“我……去蒙特卡洛？”莉迪娅问，她感觉难以置信。
“没错，去蒙特卡洛。”
“但是……为什么派我去？我进报社并没多久啊！”
“就因为你刚来不久才选中你。当然，你的家庭背景也是我很重视的。但这次的决定和令尊的声誉没什么关系。”
“好主意！”斯潘塞說，对摩根的口才佩服极了，“我们可以把莉迪娅的报道做成专题，再配上照片。她可以在蒙特卡洛搞定这些。”
“看看哪天能动身吧。后天怎么样？”
“好，我会竭尽全力。”
“太好了。盖伊会安排好一切，护照、钱、薪水等。盖伊，大方点儿，莉迪娅刚给我们省了一大笔钱。期待你取得成功，亲爱的。”
（完）